Kakashi

A persistent and stable beep rang through the air. His eyes felt heavy but he managed to prise his onyx one open. He was greeted by the familiar sight of the hospital ceiling. His face ached, as did most of his body. He scanned the windowless room but seemed to be alone. Even breathing hurt.

He tried to pull his hand to his face but his arm felt weak. He reached as far as he could trying to press the button for assistance. His fingers were only cm's away but he found he couldn't stretch further. His arm began to shake and he lay it by his side weakly. His breathing was uneven and wheezed in and out of his sore lungs. His open eye grew heavier. Exhaustion took over and he felt himself slip into unconsciousness once again.

"How is he doing?" a familiar but muffled voice stirred Kakashi from his sleep.

"He hasn't woken yet, but he seems to be responding well to healing." A sharp female's voice became clearer. He squirmed beneath the uncomfortable sheets trying to open his eyes.

"I believe he is waking up now" a soft female voice carried through the air as a sharp pain bit the inside of his elbow. He flinched weakly away from the pain as he forced his eyes open. The blurry sight of a doctor, nurse, and the Hokage stood around his hospital cot. The nurse removed the needle from his arm and held a cotton ball over it.

"Hatake-san," the medic-nin approached him, "you are in the hospital, everything is OK but you mustn't move around too much, you're injured." Her tone was almost condescending. He attempted to sit up only to have the doctor easily push him back down.

"I'm fine" he wheezed.

"That's the second time I've heard that today" she tutted. Kakashi managed to sit up finally after she moved away to adjust the machinery.

"Hokage-sama" he rasped.

"Kakashi, it's good to see you" the old man neared his bed, his hands held behind his back. "Team Ro filled me in when they got back. Once you are healed enough you will need to debrief us on the situation from your own perspective. I trust you understand"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Kakashi could barely lift his head up. His lungs stung from the pain of breathing.

"You need to take it easy until then." He turned towards the exit. "Report back to me by Wednesday next week." And he left. Kakashi looked around the room finding a clock. It read 8 pm.

"What day is it?" he coughed weakly.

"Saturday."

"How long was I gone?"

"You left on the mission 10 days ago." She sighed and finished up fiddling with the machinery and stood next to his bed. She began testing various parts of him with her healing chakra. It tingled uncomfortably in his system. "You were brought back here just over 3 days ago by another Anbu." Flashes of blurred memories passed through his mind. His eyes widened as he remembered events.

"I remember." He began coughing and couldn't stop as the chakra hit his lungs.

"No need to talk. I'll fill you in" the medic-nin lay him back down as she continued the healing. "She carried you on her back for almost 2 days through morning and night without much rest. She exhausted her chakra completely, it's a mystery to me how she survived with such little chakra." She explained and the aches and pains began to subside in his torso. "After some of your teammates returned without you and explained the situation she was dispatched. It took her 3 days to find you. She even managed to take out 3 missing nins from the bingo book and 2 others before carrying you all the way back to Konoha." He stared at the blank ceiling, recalling all the events of the mission. He didn't know how many days he was held in the bunker but a cold sweat set in as details washed over him. He didn't realise as his body trembled. The medic-nin placed a hand on his shoulder in reassurance but he flinched away. "She collapsed on the village line, the guards brought you both here." Kakashi looked up to the doctor, her face was distant.

"How is she?"

"She will be fine, she left this morning on partial discharge." Kakashi hummed in response. Not much else was said between the two. The nurse and medic-nin healed him for 3 more hours before ordering him to rest. They switched the lights out in his private room but Kakashi began breathing harder. Memories of the past few days surfaced. His limbs trembled as breathing became harder. The darkness started to play tricks on his mind and his Sharingan swirled as he snapped it open, scouring the darkness. His heart palpitated in his sore ribs. His body wouldn't obey him as he lay frozen. The clock on the wall seemed to grow louder and louder as it ticked by the seconds.

Within minutes of the staff leaving he was out of his bed and limping through the illuminated halls. He grabbed spare anbu pants, a loose long sleeve and a mask to cover his face from the supply closet before almost running up the emergency staircase. He made it out the back door of the hospital. It was late but the streets weren't entirely empty. The lamps flickered under the dark winter night as he made his way through the streets of the village, heading home.

He walked, or rather hobbled, towards central Konoha, heading in the direction of his home. He took the long way, avoiding the emptiness of his apartment. The thought of laying in the darkness brought on unwanted adrenaline as he silently made his way through the streets.

Bars were filled as it was a Saturday night. He kept his head down as drunkards stumbled through the chill of the night. He kept his free hand in his pocket and his other was strung up from being dislocated. The anbu garments didn't keep him warm enough as the clear skies above him sent an extra bitter wind blowing his way. His hair danced in the wind as he bowed forward taking the brunt of it.

A small man bumped into him and slurred a series of apologies. The aching flared as he tensed to maintain balance. Kakashi barely paid him any notice until a familiar scent engulfed his senses. He halted and turned staring at the back of the pair stumbling through the streets. He carried a tall, lean woman. It was almost comical watching the short man haul her down the street, she was almost a foot taller than him. But he couldn't find it in himself to be amused. His mouth was slightly agape as he stared after them.

He pushed down the flashbacks in his mind but they were banging on the door in his mind insisting to be known. His head began to thud and his vision threatened to sway. He shook his head as if it would relieve the tension brewing in his skull. He began moving before he had realised but the pain in his joints cried out to him. He stumbled after the pair of drunks into a darker side street.

He watched the pair separate and stared as the unfortunate kunoichi somehow made it up the iron stairs, albeit seemingly clinging on for dear life. He felt his mouth almost twitch upwards watching it, almost. She waved the older man goodbye and headed to what he assumed was her apartment. It was an old and unkempt building. The old man sauntered off gently humming to himself and disappeared into the night.

He found himself making his way up the stairs himself. He didn't know what he was going to say to her, but he felt like he needed to see her. To thank her. His mind was unsettled and erratic and he tried to breathe through the chaos of his head. He faced the entrance of her apartment. It was almost pitch black and the door was still half-open. He watched as she stumbled around the kitchen banging on the cupboards looking for something. His knuckles rasped lightly on the open door but she didn't so much as look in his direction. He cleared his throat attempting to alert her to his presence to no avail. He found himself stepping forward, peering in the doorway.

"Hello?" His voice was hoarse and he hated it, it barely came out as a whisper. The dim lights in the street didn't make it up to the first-floor apartment. The darkness rattled his bones and he gripped onto the inside of his pocket attempting to satiate the trembling of his hands. His heartbeat picked up to the point where he could hear it loudly in his ears. He swallowed as he watched the shadowy figure before him finally open a cupboard reaching for something. He assumed she must've heard him by now and simply ignoring his presence. He stepped in one more stride further, clearing his throat as he did. No ninja could let their senses dull so much. He announced his presence four times. The darkness continued to rattle his mind, flashes of the bunker began to paralyse his limbs.

"Why are the lights not on?" He watched her stumble and startle. He tensed and fell back a step at her reaction. She wobbled as she attempted to spin on her heels. The sound of glass shattering caused his whole body to cease up and his hand's arms flew either side of his head. He breathed heavily and he attempted to calm himself.

"You" she slurred and her hand slid down her thigh to her kunai holder. She swayed in a defensive stance.

"I'm not here to fight" he turned his arms and raised them in innocence. Proving he was unarmed.

"Why are you in my house" I don't know. He watched her shadowy figure sway in what little light the frosted window gave.

"You left your door open." His free hand found its way into his pocket, once again gripping the material as his hands continued to shake. He leant on the wall next to her door as his body grew weaker. It was effortful just to stand and speak.

"Last I checked that doesn't give an open invitation to unwanted guests" her tone was sharper now and less slurred. She gulped loudly. His vision swirled in the darkness and fear crept through him. Shadows around the apartment seemed to move, taunting him. The memories always seem so vivid in the dark. He squeezed his eyes shut trying to ignore the rising panic but he couldn't.

"Why don't you turn the light on?" his voice shook as he asked, almost begging.

"The bulb is out" the little hope he had died in his chest.

"Light from the bathroom?" Even as he spoke he didn't know why he said what he said, or even why he was here in the first place.

"…That's also out. Why are you in my house?" She hesitated in her words and slowly revealed a kunai. He cleared his throat as alarm rang. He knew he wouldn't be able to do much in this state to protect himself, even if she was intoxicated.

"I heard the retrieval was tough" he found the words tumbling out of his mouth before he realised he was speaking.

"I handled it" she quipped and silence followed as he stared at the woman shroud in darkness.

"I heard you took out 3 from the bingo book single handily."

"And?" he gulped.

"And I also heard you carried me for almost two days after," he hesitated, causing her features to pull into a deep scowl, "I heard you exhausted your chakra carrying me back" he spoke quickly.

"Are you just here to throw it in my face or are you going to get to a point so I can sleep and you can leave?" He managed to push himself off the wall and he began to realise this was more than a mistake. He felt faint and his limbs grew heavier as he stood without support.

"A lot of ninja wouldn't have been able to pull it off" he breathed out as if it were too much effort to speak

"Are you going to give me a medal?" He found himself falling closer towards her closing the awkward distance. His limbs tumbled forward in each step. He could see her face more clearly now. The large byakugan eyes, fair skin, and long lilac hair. With her anbu mask removed he felt more uncomfortable, it began to feel too real and his breathing constricted his throat.

"It's… it's always difficult after" he found he couldn't look away from her face as the streetlights barely illuminated it. He didn't know why he just admitted that to her. He knew what he wanted to say but the words didn't make it out of his mouth.

"Always." Surprise washed over him as she accepted his confession. "Well, it wasn't nice to have you, please don't show up again." Her tone flipped and he watched her pull the door entirely open in the small space. The light flooded in and he watched her as she took in the sight of him. He must not have looked in good shape as she cringed away from him. He nodded and began to make his way across the threshold but hesitated when she spoke out again.

"You should go back to the hospital, they don't like runaways. Trust me." It wasn't concern in her voice, she spoke only factually.

"I know" he heard her slam the door loud enough to wake the street.

The night was long and he sat below a street lamp on a cold wooden bench until the sun rose. The darkness of his apartment haunted his thoughts as he waited for the sunlight to relieve him of his waking nightmares.

Once the sun had risen he returned to the hospital before the staff had made their rounds. They came and worked on him for hours and then left him be. Before he knew it he fell asleep under the artificial lights as exhaustion won out.

He woke to the sound of nurses bringing food for him to eat. Breakfast still lay on the side, untouched. He prised his eyes open finding the medic-nin Chikako standing over him with a concerned expression.

"You need to eat, Hatake-san," she waited for him to make a move or reply or anything but he didn't, "you'll heal faster if you eat regularly." His stomach churned at the thought of eating. He couldn't remember the last time he had a full meal. He sighed and managed to sit upright on the bed. A metal tray appeared in his lap containing rice, fried tofu, salmon, an orange, and miso soup. He reached out for the orange, pulling a face at the fried tofu, and began to weakly peel it.

"I feel much better" he admitted. It wasn't a lie. Last night he felt like he was on the verge of collapsing from pain but now wasn't so bad. Dare he say he was almost better.

"Don't even think about it" she snipped as she flicked through his charts.

"Hn?"

"You anbu are all the same, I am not discharging you so stop contemplating when you can go back out on missions." He looked back down to his peeled orange and began pulling the white stringy bits from it, placing the waste on his tray.

"How long until I can?" he asked innocently looking back up to her, giving her his infamous eye crinkle smile. He could've sworn he saw her blush but didn't think anything of it as he committed himself back to his orange.

"A while yet, you may feel better but you're in no state to work" she wondered back to him and emitted her green healing chakra. She began to study the condition of his body as he finally finished picking the white strings off his orange. He began separating the segments.

"The Hokage is expecting me" he knew the Hokage wasn't expecting him until later in the week but he hated hospitals, and he needed to do something. He felt better again, stronger.

"You can speak with him tomorrow" she scolded, "I will call him to the hospital personally" she turned around and fussed with medical equipment. He took the opportunity to devour the orange. He chewed quickly and swallowed before she'd even turned back to him.

She worked on him for hours this time too, a nurse joined her at some point. He noticed deep purple laced under her eyes, beneath her glasses, and he could sense her chakra waining.

"I think I'm good now, thank you, Chikako-sama." He leant away from her hands and she exhaled with something that sounded like relief. He felt good again. His body was still bruised and battered but it was in working condition. He flexed his muscles testing for weaknesses but found few. His lungs no longer twinged as he breathed or talked. He called this a success.

She bid him good day and almost dragged herself out of the suite. He waited all of 5 minutes before tossing the sheets off and finding himself running through the emergency exit once again.

"Hokage-sama," he knelt before the Hokage at the Hokage tower. He ran from the hospital to his house and changed into a fresh anbu uniform. He slid his kitsune mask over his face and made his way straight to the san-daime.

"Kakashi," the Hokage greeted him with warmth as he sat behind his desk, "What can I do for you?"

Kakashi spent the next half an hour debriefing him on the events that unfolded on the mission. The Hokage nodded along and only occasionally interjecting to ask questions. He left out the more gruesome days spent in the bunker chained to the floor but he got through it somehow.

"And then the anbu operative retrieved me," he swallowed, "much of my memory is a blur after that, Hokage-sama. I believe they can fill you in on my behalf." He bowed in apology and in respect for the elder gentleman. A pensive silence hung between them until the Hokage finally spoke.

"And, how are you feeling, Kakashi?" the question seemed to surprise him.

"I am well, Hokage-sama, I wish to be put back in rotation as soon as possible" he bowed again at his request. The san-daime waved him off.

"The hospital has discharged you then?" he asked smiling curiously.

"I am going there after this to pick up my discharge papers" this earned a knowing smirk from the Hokage.

"Very well, if you believe yourself to be ready, spend the rest of the day at the training grounds." He began writing things down, appearing to be lost in thought.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama" he bowed and made his way to leave but halted in the office entryway.

"Also, Kakashi," he interjected. The copy nin turned around to face him again. The man's face grew sombre. "You understand that Team Ro has been disbanded due to the events that unfolded?" Kakashi blinked as the realisation hit. He swallowed as his mind came up empty.

"What will happen now?" he asked hating the vulnerability in his voice.

"I have something more to discuss with you." He went back to scribbling on the paper in front of him. Kakashi took a few steps towards the desk. He waited for information. "I will be reassigning you to a new team- a partnership." Kakashi slowly nodded accepting the new information. "Your first mission will be intel. You're both recovering from injury but it seems you both won't sit still and recover. It is an S rank mission but it is your duty to avoid danger on this mission. If you are compromised by the target's awareness of you, you have failed the mission. Do you understand? You are only to observe and report back. Do not engage with enemy nin. It is imperative they are not aware of your presence." He spoke forcefully.

"I understand Hokage-sama."

"But that isn't your only brief," he began and an uncomfortable feeling brewed in his gut. "The anbu operative you are being partnered up with will resist the partnership, to no fault of your own. She has had a bad run with teammates and has lost trust in anyone and everyone in Konoha. She has been soloing for over a year and it's time to reintroduce her into teamwork."

"I will do my best, Hokage-sama" a heavy weight rested on his shoulders.

"That's not all, the circumstances of her last team were," he hesitated considering his words, "suspicious."

"You don't trust her." It wasn't a question and the Hokage nodded regretfully.

"She spent time as a member of Root before I reassigned her to the team. Her background is somewhat vague. You need to gather intel on her as well as the mission at hand." His gut twisted at the assignment.

"You think she's hiding something?" Dread and guilt already lay their foundation inside of him.

"I want to believe that she is good and loyal to the leaf, but it has been brought to my attention that there are many unknowns around her. I don't believe we even know the extent of her abilities. The few leaf ninja alive who have worked with her have indicated her attitude to be colder than most." Flashbacks of teammates fearing him glazed over his eyes.

"The rest of your mission details will be handed to your new team tomorrow. Train today and I will send for you tomorrow." The Hokage dismissed the copy nin.

Kakashi found himself at the memorial stone after he trained until night had fallen. His body ached and he could tell he'd lost stamina and muscle in the past days. There was hardly any pain left, however. The medic-nin's had done their job well.

He stood with his hands in his pockets in front of the stone. He read Obitos name on it for the millionth time and sighed. Turmoil turned in his gut as he thought about his mission.

"What would you do, Obito?" he asked rhetorically. He already knew he would see the good in everybody. She had saved him where most would've failed- when he needed it most. She'd almost died herself trying.

He looked up to the clear night sky and the stars shone down to him. But, what if she were a threat to Konoha? He couldn't let that chance slip through his fingers, to protect the village. He had never doubted the Hokages assignments. He was a good man and a better leader. He had his faith completely. He knew what Root was like, and he'd saved him from that fate, too. He rubbed his eyes as tiredness seeped into him and sighed.

"I wish you were here, Obito," he breathed. "Rin, too."

He stood until the night was no longer young talking to Obito and only found his way back to his apartment in the early hours of the morning.

His slumber was short and filled with memories he didn't want to relive.

The loud rasp of knuckles on his window startled him awake. He panted as sweat covered his skin. The light was bright through his window, where an anbu perched donning a mouse mask.

He made his way over and unlatched his window.

"The Hokage calls for you, depart immediately." And then they were gone. Kakashi dressed in his Anbu gear and made his way over to the office in a matter of minutes.

He stood outside the Hokages office, he could make out faint voices. He brought his hand up to the wood and knocked a few times.

"Enter." The Hokage called. He pulled the door open revealing the back of a familiar Shinobi in her own Anbu gear. She wore her long lilac hair in twin tails but didn't so much as breath as he walked through and knelt beside her.

"Good I'm glad you're both here. There is something I need to discuss with you both." Kakashi kept his eyes on the floor. "Stand, both of you." They obeyed. Kakashi's muscles tightened as the air shifted between the three of them.

"Welcome, Team Rei (鈴)" the Hokage announced the new team and he could've sworn he heard her suppress an actual growl.

"I haven't been teamed up since-" she raised her voice and cut herself off. He had a bad feeling about this. He could feel her simmering next to him, the Hokage had warned him. He began to feel himself grow frustrated at her distrust in him.

"It's time again, to have a partner." That is all he offered.

"You two will be dealing with infiltration and intel gathering. You are both used to this line of missions and are used to being away for lengthy periods of time to retrieve crucial information for the Leaf. I personally want to show my appreciation for your commitment to our village. I sense the will of fire resides in both of you." He heard a tsk escape from her mask and his blood began to boil. Did she not respect the Hokage at all? Throwing his thanks in his face is despicable.

"As you have both been cleared from the hospital, your next mission will begin tomorrow. I suggest you spend today reading the brief and planning. Report back to me upon immediate arrival back. This is very sensitive information. That is all." We fell back into a kneel in synchronisation as the Hokage dismissed us and chanted in unison. They both rose and headed for the door.

She yanked the door open almost pulling it off the hinges as she did, and he slipped through quickly. He felt the vibrations of the door slamming and turned around to her. He tried to calm himself and steady his breath.

"You best not compromise the mission just because of your bad attitude." The warning was sincere.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." She hissed at him behind her odd blank Anbu mask.

"We are in a team whether you like it or not. You better start acting like it." He stood tall over her and crossed his arms.

"Be at the gates at 6 am." She snapped and tried to flee past him but he found his arm shot out to her off of its own accord. His grip was loose around her bicep. He managed to spin her directly in front of him and he lowered his face to hers. He felt his Sharingan spin as he did.

"4 am."

He didn't sleep that night. Instead, he wandered the streets until gone midnight and found himself at the memorial stone at the small hours of the morning. The winter's sun was still sleeping but Kakashi stood over the memorial contemplating his next mission, his new teammate. It hung heavily on him as he spoke to Obito.

He donned his Anbu gear and his mask slid up, perching on top of his head. He was slouched, standing with his hands in his pockets.

"I've made so many mistakes, Obito" his voice was barely a whisper. "I feel like I'm about to make another". The birds began their morning songs as Kakashi stood in turmoil.

"I don't think I can handle any more mistakes." His head sunk.

The sky began to lighten as the sun made its way upwards. He was late but he couldn't seem to pull himself away. He felt dread as he finally forced himself to turn his back on the memorial stone.

He approached the gates and couldn't sense anyone but the two guards.

"Yo," he called out to the gate guards and gave a two-finger salute in their direction. They ignored his presence, not looking away from their cards.

"Has any Anbu passed through here?" he asked watching their cards. Her scent lay around the area.

"Hn, yeah" one of them barely replied as they placed cards down and picked them back up. He didn't have time for this.

"Care to direct me in the way she went?"

"Hn" Tsk.

"Fold, he has the winning hand" he announced earning exasperated 'gah's' from both the men. Kakashi felt his lips twitch under the mask.

"What did you do that for?" the larger guard yelled too loudly for the early morning.

"Which way did she go?"

"She left the village about half an hour ago" he nodded, satisfied with their answer, and not entirely surprising. He began to leave.

"She was right about his fragile ego" one uttered to the other and they reshuffled their cards.

His step faltered and he closed his eyes calming himself. He willed himself to be in control of his mind, but the simmering rage heating under his skin won out.

Game on.

Breakneck speed was too slow to describe the pace he set for himself. The sun had barely risen, but beneath the canopy, it was still mostly dark. He pushed himself harder than he should've considering the condition of his body and the lack of sleep.

He launched himself from tree to tree making up the distance. He knew there was only one route she would've taken and perused her as if hell itself was on his tail. His breathing grew heavier as the minutes wore on. The forest beneath him began to brighten under the morning sun. His nose was able to follow her scent all the way until his hearing began to pick up on her footfalls.

Soon she came into sight and he slowed his pace down to match hers, a fair distance away.

He watched as she lunged around a tree branch expertly and landed into a defensive position with her kunai ready. He halted at the same time giving her time to assess him. He tried to master his mind but he felt his blood simmering under his skin just at the sight of her. It was impossible, he was tired and pissed off by the guards.

"Yo," he gave his two-finger salute. She hesitated momentarily before leaping off into the canopy in front of her wordlessly. That won't do.

"You began the mission without me. This will have to go in the mission report." Silence hung between them and just when he thought she wasn't going to reply, her anger got the better of her.

"Along with your tardiness", he felt a satisfied smirk stretch under his mask.

"Maa- you said 6 am." He stirred the pot further.

"And you said 4 am" she basically spat at him as he closed the distance between them.

"You waited all that time for me? I'm flattered" he cooed.

"Don't be, I didn't wait"

"Ahh, that's why you were going slowly, so I could catch up." He wasn't two steps behind her now. She reached for her kunai and sent it flying at his head. He ducked in time but his patience wore thin. "That wasn't very team-mate like at all, Ojou-sama. I'm beginning to think you don't want to be partnered up."

"I was under the impression you shared the same view"

"Maa, Ojou-sama, would it kill you to be kind to a comrade" he could feel he was pushing her to breaking point but he was pissed off, too.

Her sudden halt had him almost crashing into her. He managed to pause on the branch behind her when she whipped her head towards him, her byakugan straining. His body sang out to him to reach for his weapons to defend himself. He held his hands up and gave her a fake smile. He could probably count on her to attack him. She has already shown she's volatile just from being pushed. He was angry, and he would be lying if he didn't gain some satisfaction from winding her up, but, it's not just to piss her off. He needed to know what her triggers are, how she reacts when she's riled, what her motivations are, what pushed her and what pulls her back. Her hand twitched and reached towards the pouch on her thigh and he dropped his arms slowly. He felt his face darken.

"It will take more than a byakugan user to kill me" his voice was low and reprimanding.

"Don't flatter yourself, if I wanted you dead you'd already be in the ground" she huffed shooting off back through the trees. "I was checking to see if you were an impostor." His step almost faltered in surprise.

"You already gauged my chakra signature?" he kept his tone even.

"No" he felt his face pull into a frown.

"Then your byakugan can't tell between an impostor and your real partner." He offered. This evidently was the wrong thing to say.

"I didn't know you were an expert in the byakugan" he remained silent. "Please, do go on. Tell me how I can use my byakugan" his mind began racing through all the knowledge he had on byakugan and how it could possibly recognise him without knowing his chakra signal. No matter how many times he went over it, it just didn't add up.

They raced through the forest until the sun began to set. She was leading him towards a small town he knew well from previous missions. Most leaf nin would know the place. He was hesitant about stopping there but she insisted and he was tired. The sound of a comfy bed swayed him enough but he would've been fine in the forest. At least there were fewer people there.

They managed to book a room for them both and they made their way to it. It was a fairly nice Ryokan, his favourite in the town. He often dreamt of the bathhouse here and it was the first thing he was going to do. He had been looking forward to it since he realised that was where she was leading him.

He was examining the room when she spoke.

"Dinner?" her consideration took him by surprise. He considered all the answers he could've given.

"I don't date" it was worth it to see her face drop and her cheeks flush. He resisted the smirk that threatened his lips. He left towards the onsen as rage twitched her eyebrow.

The baths were quiet and he was thankful. He prepared himself in the showers and slipped into the spring water. The crisp winters air always made the hot rejuvenating waters of the onsen feel even better. He sank into his seat and lifted his arms either side of him, stretching out across the rock side. He nodded to the elderly gentleman in the onsen and tipped his head back, closing his eyes.

The waters were hot and the steam slithered into his lungs. The warmth wrapped around him like a blanket and his eyes grew heavy. He didn't try to fight the exhaustion and felt himself slip into a half-sleep. He was still conscious but his body was resting.

"You should really henge your anbu tattoo" the familiar whisper woke him out of his half-slumber. He lifted his head off the side and his eye resisted opening.

He didn't expect what sight would greet him.

A female with a full figure leant over him, her round full breasts a foot away from his face. He heard the plop of his head towel as it fell from his cranium into the springs water. He watched a smirk spread across her face and her scent hit him fully. He snapped his head away from the henged anbu, pleading the blood to stay in his head.

He felt her sink into the water beside him, too close for comfort. He trained his eyes forward and only forward. Looking at anything besides her. She heard her sigh and she caused ripples of the hot water the caressed his skin. His silent pleading grew louder in his head until his eyes took in the old man on the other side of the onsen.

Kakashi's face darkened as the pervert stared openly at his partner. His eyes roamed over her figure and the expression on the mans face ignited something within Kakashi. He felt his features twitch and his Sharingan revealed itself without his permission, swirling in his eye. He watched the elderly gentleman pale as he caught sight of the Sharingan. He jumped upwards and flailed out of the water, almost running towards the exit.

The sound of her giggling snapped him out of the frenzy and his eyes involuntarily slid towards the source of the noise. Her bosom floated upwards and jiggled as she laughed. The water that was sent his way from the ripples would leave a mark on him deeper than his skin.

The scent of iron alerted him and he snapped his head out of her sight. As quickly as he could made his way to the changing rooms. His nose didn't stop bleeding for ten minutes and he silently cursed himself as he sat in the changing rooms waiting to change.

He eventually changed himself into the Ryokan baby blue bath clothes and glanced to the onsen pool. She lay unhenged with her head back. Her lilac hair cascaded over her body impersonating divinity. He tore his eyes from the sight, cursing himself further for his perverted ways and made his way to their room.

He lay their futons out perfectly, as he always did. He slipped on his shoes and found the front desk once again. He asked about the food services but they'd arrived too late to order. He strolled down the streets debating what food to get.

The smell of a curry stand was enticing but he wasn't sure it was best if he ordered food for them both and headed back to the room.

He heard grunts through the door and as he opened it he spotted the source of the noise. He faltered in the doorway as he watched her towing a futon to the very outer edges of the room. He shook his head once and began taking his shoes off.

This is going to be a long mission. He thought.

After the mission overview, they headed to bed. Kakashi lay on his back with his arm under his head. His eyes were closed but sleep alluded him. He listened as the kunoichi's breathing evened out next to him and he risked a glance over to her.

"It's where I'm from, originally." He hadn't heard of many outsiders becoming ninja let alone someone from another land entirely.

"You're not from the leaf?" He listened as she moved around the bathroom. She didn't reply until she emerged and practically fell into her futon.

"My clan is from Birds" He watched as she wriggled around, giving a satisfied hum.

No wonder Hiruzen was concerned about her loyalty. A deep unsettling feeling sank in his stomach. The moonlight streamed in through the windows illuminating her face. She looked peaceful as she slept. He hadn't seen much of her face unhenged but he knew she always donned the expressionless face that most Root members had. He sighed to himself considering all the possibilities.

Why would she be so forthcoming with information if she were a spy, or, a danger to Konoha? Was it just to throw him off her scent? He sighed again and stared at the cream ceiling.

He'd never seen byakugan like hers before. It was subtly different, the light grey of her eyes so close to the Hyuga shade it was barely noticeable against her lilac hair.

He found himself hoping that she wasn't here to cause any trouble. He didn't want to be the one responsible for stopping her. If it came to it though, he would have to do what was right.

He fell asleep not long after thinking that he needed to know more, for the mission. He'd find out more, for the sake of the leaf.

Dreams of his father plagued his sleep that night. He didn't rest well, but then again, did he ever?